Man shot in front of house in Bensalem

Bensalem Township Police responded to a 911 call shortly before 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, reporting a shooting in front of the Bucks Meadows Apartments on Knights Road.

When police arrived, they found a man lying near the rear parking lot with a gunshot wound to the upper body. While waiting for emergency services to arrive, they attempted life-saving measures.

The man was taken by Bensalem EMS to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Officers identified the victim as 40-year-old Jose Miguel Tenorio-Ruiz.

The shooter had fled the scene before police arrived. After interviewing witnesses and examining the scene, police identified a suspect, Abel Mendoza-Ramirez, a 31-year-old resident of the Bucks Meadows apartment complex.

Police said the two men had a “minor physical altercation” shortly before the shooting. After the fight, witnesses said Mendoza-Ramirez went to his Ford van and returned with a gun to attack Tenorio-Ruiz again.

Mendoza-Ramirez reportedly fired two shots at the ground near Tenorio-Ruiz after another argument broke out between the two men.

Tenorio-Ruiz attempted to take the gun from Mendoza-Ramirez, but police said Mendoza-Ramirez fired the gun, striking the victim in the upper body.

According to police, Mendoza-Ramirez then fled the scene in his van.

The description of the suspect and his vehicle was then sent to surrounding police departments and the vehicle registration was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a felon vehicle whose driver may have been armed and dangerous.

At approximately 6:40 p.m., a Newton Township Police Officer spotted a Ford van with matching license plates and conducted a traffic stop at 600 Newtown Yardley Road in front of Newton Cemetery.

Mendoza-Ramirez was taken into custody without incident.

He was charged with manslaughter, first-degree murder, first-degree murder and possession of a murder weapon. He was arraigned before District Judge Joseph Falcone and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail.

“The Bensalem Township Police Department would like to thank officers from surrounding townships for their assistance and the Newtown Township Police Department for locating and taking this dangerous criminal into custody.”

Source: CRIMEWATCH